Trip, Part 4

Well, this was my favorite day! I loved the whole park but this day tops the list. Admittedly Wilma was not as happy about the hike, but was game to try it. We've hiked many trails together over the years and she know's what it will involve. Once there, we were able to relax and enjoy life. The staff at Sperry Chalet are good at making that happen.



Time passes quickly. We could have used more time at all our lodgings, but this one seemed especially short.

Peach Time In Kansas

Well, I MUST take a short break from travel journaling or I'll get in a real blogjam here. Life doesn't wait for the journal to capture it. PEACH TIME! I LOVE peaches. My favorite pie. Mom always made apple pies from Jonathan apples, ..the best. I think I love peach pie so much because Mom rarely made them (we suspect Dad may have married Mom for her apple pies). On the farm we even had about a dozen peach trees but we had marginal luck with them. After sketching this one, I ate it on my morning cereal. Mmmm.

Trip, Part 3

This day was short, as the main activity was a white-water trip in the afternoon, which does not lend itself to active sketching (or photography). A short hike in the morning rounded out the day. The view from the motel got me kinda excited and I didn't actively check perspective with my pencil as I sketched. Oops.





This map is an overall map for our time spent in the park. I love maps, so I really was looking forward to doing this sketch. They tell SO much with so few words. Need to learn more about mapping. I fell in love with the Columbian Ground Squirrels, so they had to make an appearance here, too (taking pictures pays off).

Trip, Part 2

Getting this travel journal finished is taking time. Journaling time is balanced with other activities we put off doing because of vacation, plus it's 4-H Fair this week. For anyone whose been through it as a family you know the world basically stops at Fair time to get things done. Even though we're empty nesters we still volunteer and have plenty to do at Fair time. I know, we all have excuses. My only point in mentioning it is to clarify that my slower posting rate is not due to waning interest in journaling. It will get done.

This post is a continuation of July 6, Sunday. The activity for today was a Red Bus Tour, mainly of the Going to the Sun Road. It was worth it! I enjoyed this more that I thought I would. With an open top you get sights, sounds, smells, wind and even splashes of water as the snowmelt finds its way down the mountainside. This was our last night at McDonald Lake Lodge.

Trip, Part 1

Finally on the road! All the planning is over. We've begun the vacation and we'll just deal with anything that happens or with any plans that must change as they happen. I've seen a fellow EDM member draw a sketch similar to this and always liked it so I took the chance to make my own. Wilma took a turn at driving as I started lookin' around.

After a night stay at a motel, we hit Chicago and get on the Empire Builder train to Glacier N.P. and parts beyond. It July 4! That means we see fireworks from the train. Not exactly ideal seats, but still neat.




Here's observations from the train. 30 hours is quite a while to sit and think and read and watch. I like it. The coffee is pretty good, too.





Our first night in the park is at Lake McDonald Lodge. We can finally relax! The train doesn't get in until close to 9 p.m., so we pick up our rental car and drive the short mileage along the shore of Lake McDonald to lodge. Room as scheduled. They have a fire going in the fireplace and the scent riding on the cool air greets us. The showpiece of the lobby, to me, is the huge fireplace. My eyes are drawn to it so that's what I decide to sketch before we leave in a couple days. I think I'll try to have a minimum of one sketch and one picture for each of our lodgings. We'll see if I can keep it up.

Pre-Trip Sketches

The wife and I just got back from a 10-day vacation to Glacier National Park in Montana. This is a big trip for us, and the first one since I starting really sketching. It was my time to play with what I've learned and what suggestions I've gathered from my EDM and LTJ communities. My travel journal has begun. This first sketch is blatant copying of an old magazine add that was used in a publication I purchased to plan this trip. It's my private journal (forget the fact that it's shared here with millions of people through Internet). I loved the image and wanted it for my first page.

Since this is my first time for a travel journal, I'll admit I don't know what I'm doing. Every trip won't be done this way, maybe, but until I try some things I won't know what style I like. Here's the first few pre-trip sketches. That's not exactly true. I WANTED them done before we left, but it's not to be. I worked on them during and after the trip, too. To finish the rest of the journal I wanted my digital pictures printed to base some sketches on, and transfer some pictures to the journal. Not exactly fast stuff. I'll post more as I get them done.

Award!

Thank you to my peers for the nomination for this award!

My day was made when Starr of http://wistex1129.blogspot.com/ and purplepaint of http://pencil-paper-paint.blogspot.com/ both sent me this award! I journal for myself and blog for the fun of it. So I thought. The feedback of my peers really means a lot.

The rules of acceptance are:

1. Put the logo on your blog.2. Add a link to the person who awarded you.3. Nominate 7 other blogs.4. Add links to those blogs on yours.5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

To fulfill these requirements, the following is a list of some blogs I visit to view neat sketching and dialog:

Rose at http://rose-anglaise.blogspot.com/

Alanna at: http://paintedcats.blogspot.com/

Jenny at http://seniorscribblin.blogspot.com/

Sue at http://icemoosey.blogspot.com/

Deborah at http://silverwomanstudio.blogspot.com

Genine at http://broadhurststreet.blotspot.com

Karen at http://karensandstrom.blogspot.com


Please check out the blogs!